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From microscopic marvels to unexpected invertebrates, meet these 8 animals that have rewritten the rules of biology and can thrive where oxygen is nowhere to be found.
They can survive in low-oxygen waters by converting carbohydrates into alcohol, which they excrete through their gills.
These simple animals survive in low-oxygen ocean zones, thanks to their minimal energy needs and slow metabolic rate.
Some species in ocean sediments survive in nearly anoxic (oxygen-free) environments by slowing metabolic processes.
Found in Antarctic waters, they live with almost no haemoglobin in their blood, surviving in oxygen-poor, icy environments.
Some deep-sea jellies can float through oxygen-depleted zones by drastically reducing activity and relying on passive feeding.
These nearly indestructible micro-animals can survive in a vacuum and withstand near-total lack of oxygen by entering a cryptobiotic state.
They survive months to years buried in mud without water, slowing their metabolism dramatically when oxygen is scarce.
This microscopic parasite lives inside salmon and is the only known animal that doesn’t require oxygen. It lacks mitochondria, the organelles that use oxygen for energy and likely absorbs nutrients directly from its host.
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